Quitting for a day might help you quit forever

Nov. 19, 2024

By Mary Wade Burnside

Way back during a different decade and in a different county, I went to a bar to see a friend of mine perform with her band.
I could only make it through a few songs before the thick, secondhand cigarette smoke I was inhaling made it impossible for me to breathe comfortably. So I left.
Later, I found out that my friend wasn’t super happy having to sing with all that smoke swirling around either.
I mentioned it to a smoking co-worker, who said, “But you went to a bar, so you must have known there would be cigarette smoke.”
But he later changed his tune when he complained about a co-worker’s smoke. He had quit, and he had to admit that I was right.
Smoking is gross, and once you are no longer accustomed to it (i.e., you gain back your sense of smell), it’s not fun to breathe in it.
I grew up around smoke. Both my parents and one grandmother smoked. Car rides weren’t a whole lot of fun.
But when I was around 13, my father caught a cold and quit smoking for the duration. And then… he never picked it back up. He became like my former co-worker and couldn’t stand it anymore. I consider it the cold that helped extend his life.
Coincidentally, just as I was moving away from home, the “no smoking” movement was gaining ground. For the most part, I’ve spent my career not having to deal with other people’s bad habit.
This topic is relevant year-round in West Virginia, where smoking rates top those of every other state at 21%, nearly twice the national average of 11.5%.
But as we approach Thanksgiving and the new year, and with Lung Cancer Awareness Month taking place in November, it’s a great time to highlight the Great American Smokeout.
This annual event, launched by the American Cancer Society in 1977, takes place this Thursday with a goal of urging smokers to go one day without a cigarette.
The hope is that if you give up smoking for one day, maybe you’ll consider doing it for another day, and then another.
If you quit on Nov. 21, one week later, on Thanksgiving, your turkey dinner will taste a little better because smoking dulls your taste buds and they would be perking up again already.
As the American Cancer Society points out: 20 minutes after quitting, your heart rate and blood pressure drop. After 12 hours, carbon monoxide levels in your blood drop to normal.
After two weeks to three months, circulation improves and lung function increases.
After one to nine months, coughing and shortness of breath decrease. Cilia start to regain function in your lungs, increasing their ability to clean the lungs and reduce the risk of infection.
Several of Monongalia County Health Department’s programs have been vital in their fight to decrease the incidence of smoking among West Virginia residents.
As of March 9, 2012, smoking has been prohibited by the Monongalia County Board of Health in enclosed spaces, including, but not limited to, restaurants and bars. MCHD Environmental Health sanitarians are responsible for enforcing the Clean Indoor Act, which was amended as of Feb. 1, 2017 to include electronic smoking devices to the prohibition.
The effect of this not only protects non-smoking customers, but also the employees of these establishments as well as any musicians who might be playing, like my friend that I had wanted to see several years ago.
Also, patients at MCHD Dentistry receive a very thorough oral cancer screening during their checkups and smoking cessation information is available not only through that program, but also MCHD Clinical Services and MCHD WIC.
Check out Monongalia County Health Department’s website at monchd.org to see if any of our services would be right for you.
State residents also can turn to the West Virginia Tobacco Quitline, which offers not only counseling but also products to help people ditch this dangerous habit.
These services are especially important in our state, because in a report released earlier this year by the American Lung Association, West Virginia was listed as “the worst state in the nation for adult smoking and high school tobacco use; and among the worst for tobacco control policies.”
Smoking is addictive and it’s not easy to quit. Setting goals and seeking help is a great way to start.
And when Jan. 1 rolls around, you could be well on the path to completing one of the most important New Year’s resolutions you’ll ever make.

Mary Wade Burnside is the public information officer at Monongalia County Health Department.